Minutes of meeting March 16, 2009

Present: Kenny Thomson, Joan Thomson, Ann Marston, Sheila Gray, Graham McDonald, Community Beat Officer Darren Cochrane and Cllr. HoodCommunity Presence: KOSI member Lesley MonaghanWelcome/Apologies
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies had been received from Cillrs. Cullinane and Hood, Drew Cullinane, Ava Rennie, Ken White and Christina Stamper. Joan Thomson was appointed Minute taker in the absence of Christina.
Minutes of the February Meeting were Approved by Ann Marston and Seconded by Sheila Gray.Matters Arising from the February Minutes
Appraisal of Developer Proposals. Subsequent to the February meeting, some feedback on Graham’s Report had been received from KDCC members and the Meeting with Developers and Landowners had taken place on 25 February as planned. Only 1 Developer had been absent from the Meeting. About 20 members of the Public had also been in attendance and taken part in lively debate on the Proposals. Meetings with individual Developers may now take place, as it is important to ensure accuracy of the KDCC Appraisal document before submission.Howieslap Football Pitch. Work on the regeneration of this football facility is almost complete, with only gates to be added to the fence erected by a Contractor on behalf of the Council. The Contractor has also erected goals, although not instructed to do so by the Council. Andy Roddie, Kintore United FC is to inspect them, to see if the dimensions are suitable for ‘7 a side’ play. Andy also has a contact for a container, in which to store equipment, although Council permission will be needed to place the container on site.The Hub. Graham advised the expected opening date for the Hub is 18 May. Membership cards are to be available imminently and Graham intends being at the Summer Fayre in the School on 21 March to promote the sale of these. A Starbucks coffee machine is to be installed in the Hub. The Hub has surplus furniture which must be donated to another charitable body and Action Kintore has accepted the generous donation, but needs to identify suitable storage facilities for the furniture. Graham also needs a cheque for £500 which KDCC members agreed could be donated from KDCC to this project.Police Report. Darren advised that regular checks of the School car park have been carried out and no illegal activity has been detected to date.Planning Applications. The letter of Objection regarding the Donald Russell boundary fence was submitted on 17 February.Treasurer’s Report
In Drew’s absence, no Report was available.Reports
(a) Police. PC Cochrane was in attendance and reported a total of 14 Crimes and Offences, including 9 Road Traffic Offences and 1 each of Assault, Breach of the Peace, Drugs, Theft and Housebreaking crimes and offences since the February Meeting. The latter crime of Housebreaking was to industrial premises, with nothing apparently stolen.Of significance, a car was stopped on the A96 between Kintore and Blackburn and four persons were detained for various crimes and offences relative to drug activity and kept in custody pending Court appearances.He also reported on a recent contribution of £2000 from Grampian Police to the Local Hub, to fund 4 computer terminals.Graham asked PC Cochrane to clarify the position regarding lorries parking overnight on Kintore streets to the possible annoyance of residents. PC Cochrane undertook to research this and report back.The Chairman thanked PC Cochrane for his attendance and he left to attend the Fintray Community Council Meeting.(b) Action Kintore. The Chairman reported that a Planning Application had been submitted to the Council relative to the proposed Youth Centre on the former Library site. The level of Objection to the Application from local residents was not known. The outcome of a submission to Companies House for Company status for Action Kintore is also awaited and if successful, charitable status can also then been formalised, as earlier ‘approval in principle’ had been received from the Office of the Scottish Charities Regulator (OSCR).Planning Items
The Chairman reported the Aberdeen City and Shire Structure Plan was out for final consultation, with a deadline date of 24 April for submission of Objections and Representations. Forms for this purpose are available.Correspondence
A Core Paths return had been completed by Ken White on 17 November 2008. The Core Paths issue is on the Agenda of the Garioch Area Planning Meeting on 17 March.The Assoc. of Scottish Community Councils is hosting a Regional Meeting for all Community Councillors on Saturday 16 May (10am – 2pm with Lunch included) at Woodhill House. An all party panel of North East MSP’s will be on hand to answer Questions. There is a Nomination Form for those wishing to attend.Nominations are also invited for posts on the Community Planning Executive and the Chairman has details of what the posts entail and the nomination process, should anyone wish to consider this.Planning Gain. The Chairman had received and circulated pre-Meeting a letter and report from Ian Fowell, Garioch Area Manager, on Developer Contributions. Whilst useful as it showed the Council’s spending intentions and invited community suggestions re same, for what is left of this money, it did not show how Developer Contributions had been spent to date. The Chairman undertook to contact Ian Fowell and seek more comprehensive informationAOCB
Kenny and Graham have accepted the open invitation to KDCC members to visit the Scottish Parliament on 22 April, to discuss the proposed Kintore Rail Halt with the Transport Minister. Discussion included alternatives such as using some the money saved (if the proposal wasn’t implemented) on a free bus service between Kintore and Inverurie Railway Station, to coincide with train arrival/departure times at Inverurie and the need to ascertain what, if any, Planning Gain money had been set aside for the Rail Halt and the true cost of the project (believed to be a minimum of £6.5 million). The Chairman undertook to seek community views by compiling an article for the www.kintore.org.uk website.Sheila took to the meeting a complaint about a large number of rabbits within Kintore Cemetary. Cllr Hood undertook to discuss this with the Council.Sheila also took to the Meeting a complaint about a new SMITHFIELD road sign recently being placed on a private house, without any consultation with the property owner. Cllr Hood also undertook to enquire into this.The sparsity of new trees, to screen the most northerly part of the Industrial Estate from the road as you enter Kintore, had been raised at a previous KDCC Meeting. Cllr Hood had made enquiries with Planning and learned the planting had been completed in accordance with plans. The Chairman undertook to speak with the owner of the business premises adjacent to the area to see what could be done and report back.Ann advised the Senior Citizens Outing has been set for the first Thursday in August. Destination unknown. Cllr Hood suggested the Council be contacted and asked for quotes from bus companies under contract to the Council for hires, as this cold be cheaper than private hires. Ann to enquire.Date of Next Meeting – Monday 20 April